Ted's Plan
by Klutzygirl33
Summary: Spoilers for Benefits. After Ted realizes that Barney is in love with Robin, he decides to do something about it.


Disclaimer: How I Met Your Mother doesn't belong to me. No copyright infringement intended.

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When Ted first realized that Barney was in love with Robin, he was surprised. After he ended things with Robin, he decided he needed to talk to someone about this. Marshall was one of his best bros, but that was out because he couldn't keep a secret. Barney was out for obvious reasons, not to mention the fact that he was in denial. So, Ted decided to talk to Lily. "Barney's in love with Robin," he told her.

"You know?" asked the surprised Lily. She expected Ted to be freaking out, but he seemed fine. Lily was glad he seemed fine with it, though. That way, there would be no drama in the group.

"How did you find out?" Ted questioned. Lily never kept secrets, so he probably would have known earlier if she did.

"I've known since September. Barney told me and then freaked out. It's been so hard keeping this to myself, but I promised Barney I wouldn't tell anyone," Lily explained. She hoped Ted wouldn't be mad at her.

"Barney bought us ten thousand stamps, several gallons of milk, and a dishwasher so Robin and I wouldn't fight anymore. I figured it out on my own," Ted replied. He still couldn't believe that Barney was in love with Robin.

"He's never going to admit to Robin that he loves her. Barney thinks he has no chance," Lily told him. Poor Barney was so insecure about everything that he would probably hang onto bimbos for a long time.

"Barney and Robin are perfect for each other," Ted suddenly realized. How had he not realized that before? They shared tons of interests, and Ted suddenly realized he needed to tell Barney to go for it.

"Yes they are," Lily agreed. Neither wanted to get married or have kids. They loved the same things. Robin and Barney were more compatible than Ted and Robin ever were.

When Robin and Barney showed up at MacLaren's after eating tacos for dinner, Barney seemed sadder somehow. Lily had taken Marshall aside to tell him about the Barney and Robin situation since he was the last to known, besides Robin herself.

"I thought you didn't like tacos," Ted said to Barney. Barney wasn't sitting next to Robin, but that didn't seem to matter to him.

"He's in love with tacos," Robin explained to her ex-boyfriend. She thought that that was weird, considering Barney hated "Chinese food", but whatever. Barney had been acting weird for the past few days, anyway, so that was nothing new.

"I came to tell you that, but you weren't there. Robin was, so we decided to go get them," Barney said. His taco had been okay, but he had barely eaten all of it. He was still too worried about the Ted/Robin reunion that had just ended.

Ted nodded in realization. "Tacos are going to love you back," he promised. Robin, along with Marshall and Lily, looked confused, but at least Barney understood.

"I doubt it." Barney really did. Why would Robin ever love him? He wasn't worth it. He never had been. Besides, he wasn't the same person he had been with Shannon. Thinking about Shannon still hurt to this day, and Barney didn't want to go through that again.

"Do you guys want to listen to music?" Marshall questioned. He was in the mood to listen to some oldies, and the bar wasn't all that packed tonight.

"Sure," Barney answered immediately. He wanted to get the subject off of him and Robin, because it was making him really uncomfortable.

What the group of friends didn't know was that Marshall was playing sappy love songs all night just because he was rooting for Barney and Robin.

When Ted repeatedly saw Barney laughing at Robin's jokes and staring at her, he decided that they needed to be together. He just needed Marshall and Lily for the plan he hadn't come up with yet.

His plan was exactly why he ended up being best man when Barney and Robin eloped to Vegas. The food served at the reception was tacos. Tacos had become the entire group's code word for love, and even Ted's girlfriend understood what it meant.

Sixteen months after the wedding, Ted became godfather to Isabelle Liliana Scherbatsky-Stinson. Barney and Robin had adopted the newborn from an adoption agency after deciding not to have their own biological children.

Three years after Isabelle's adoption, Barney and Robin adopted another daughter, Marley Theodora Scherbatsky-Stinson. Marley was three months up when the Scherbatsky-Stinsons decided they wanted her in their family.

When Isabelle was ten and Marley was seven, Barney and Robin adopted a two year old little boy named Logan William. He became Logan William Scherbatsky-Stinson.

The Scherbatsky-Stinsons decided their family was complete after Logan's adoption, and were always happy together.

At Barney and Robin's thirtieth wedding anniversary, Ted told the guests the story of how he realized that Barney was in love with Robin and how, Marshall, and Lily got them together.


End file.
